Communications Officer - Heising-Simons Foundation

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About the Heising-Simons Foundation

Established in 2007 by husband and wife Board Members Mark Heising and Liz Simons, the Heising-Simons Foundation is dedicated to sustainable solutions in environment, supporting groundbreaking research in science, and enhancing the education of the nation’s youngest learners. The Foundation makes grants at the local, state, and national levels.

The Foundation’s grantmaking is guided by the following values:

• We believe education is the route to opportunity.

• We are committed to promoting sustainability.

• We believe in research-driven solutions.

• We are committed to engaging and uniting stakeholders.

Position Summary

The Communications Officer reports to the Director of Communication and works with the full Communications team to advance Foundation and programmatic goals through the use of strategic communications. This includes work related to organizational communications, programmatic communications, and work with grantees. The Communications Officer is responsible for helping design and implement approaches and tactics that 1) achieve and further programmatic goals, and 2) develop grantees’ use of communications. Additionally, the Communications Officer will be responsible for drafting and editing content, helping manage consultants, and will serve as an active thought partner to the rest of the Communications team and to the Foundation’s program officers. This is an exciting opportunity for a talented and intellectually curious team-oriented individual to serve as an integral member of a new and developing team, and help define opportunities for the department and Foundation.

Principal Duties & Responsibilities

1. Contribute to the design, implementation, and management of communication approaches and tactics for select program areas, with an understanding of determinants of impact and success.

2. Design, develop, and execute programs to help grantees use communications to further their goals and grow their capacity including through trainings, the sharing of opportunities and tools, and connecting grantees to each other.

3. Under the guidance of the Director, serve as a thought-partner to program officers and to grantees, helping them think through communications goals, audiences, tactics, and message development.

4. Contribute to Foundation written materials that help achieve programmatic and organizational goals and that encourage transparency.